Breakfast show rapped over f-word

Nick Grimshaw’s Radio 1 breakfast show breached broadcasting rules by airing a Foo Fighters song – complete with swearing – when children were likely to be listening, watchdog Ofcom has ruled.

A session recording featuring the US rock band singing Something From Nothing was aired shortly before 8am in November last year.

The chorus, containing the lyric “F**k it all! I came from nothing”, was repeated in the song but t he breakfast show team had not noticed the offensive language when it was played because they had been discussing the next item in the programme.

They broadcast an apology nine minutes later.

The BBC said that it had carried out an internal investigation to determine how the incident occurred.

The session track was recorded specifically for Radio 1 and had been played in full during the evening before, on Zane Lowe’s show.

Session staff had overlooked the offensive language and temporary staff who were filling in for Lowe’s producer and assistant producer had each assumed that the other had checked the song before it aired.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Following a detailed investigation, Ofcom recorded breaches of its rules for the broadcast of a music track on Radio 1 featuring offensive language.

“This was aired at a time when children were particularly likely to be listening.”

Last year, the station was rebuked by Ofcom and the BBC Trust for on-air swearing during its live Big Weekend concert.

Performers Lily Allen and Ed Sheeran used the f-word during their appearances at the event, before the watershed.